Sports

7:45 PM ET ESPN staff The college football season will look plenty different in 2021. The college football power rankings? Not quite as much. Despite new quarterbacks at Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State, those three perennial powers find themselves in the top five. They are joined by Oklahoma and Georgia, which both return quarterbacks in

7:00 AM ET The first time Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis spent meaningful time with Alex Ovechkin was after the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Ovechkin, who had been drafted No. 1 overall by the Caps in 2004, arrived at Leonsis’ house to spend a day with the family. Leonsis’ wife, Lynn, made lunch. Leonsis was impressed

4:40 PM ET CHICAGO — Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer says his ‘greatest source of frustration’ was the team’s inability to sign any of their stars to long term contracts before trading them last Friday. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez were the talk of the baseball world last week as all

6:14 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Alexander Zverev followed up his comeback win over Novak Djokovic by winning the gold medal in men’s tennis at the Tokyo Olympics. The fifth-ranked German overwhelmed Russian opponent Karan Khachanov 6-3, 6-1 at the Tokyo Games on Sunday for the biggest title of his career. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter)

12:48 PM ET LAS VEGAS — When the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico meet in Sunday’s 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, it will be the second time in 56 days that the longtime rivals have faced each other with a continental title on the line. And yet the two matches could not be more

6:29 PM BST South Africa assistant Mzwandile Stick accused British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland of “destroying the dignity of the series” following his reported fury at the appointment of Marius Jonker as Television Match Official (TMO) for the first test. South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been under fire for an

1:24 PM BST South Africa’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, posted an hour-long video on Twitter on Thursday airing his grievances over the refereeing in the first test of the British & Irish Lions tour, before saying he would “step away” for the last two tests. The Boks and Lions have each repeatedly voiced their

1:08 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Amanda Nunes, the pound-for-pound best female fighter in the UFC, will have to wait a little longer for the next defense of her bantamweight championship. She tested positive for COVID-19, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN on Thursday, canceling her fight with Julianna Peña that was scheduled for

7:51 AM ET The welterweight clash between Conor Benn and Adrian Granados has been postponed as Benn tested positive for COVID-19, DAZN announced on Thursday. Benn (18-0-0) and Granados (21-8-3) were originally scheduled to meet in the WBA continental title fight at Matchroom Boxing’s Essex headquarters on Saturday. DAZN said a new date for the

2:40 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Canelo Alvarez’s longtime goal of becoming undisputed boxing champion is further from reality than ever since he won his third 168-pound title in May. Boxing’s top star was on the verge of a deal to meet Caleb Plant on Sept. 18 in Las Vegas — a PBC on Fox pay-per-view

5:40 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs announced three capital improvement projects over the next three years Wednesday, including two totaling $135 million, for the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Homestretch Club will undergo a $45 million renovation and upgrade of areas adjacent to the Twin Spires and is scheduled for

6:55 PM ET Associated Press IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson is hopeful of testing in August on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a path toward running in next year’s Indianapolis 500. Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, jumped this season to IndyCar and has competed in seven races for team owner Chip Ganassi. He’s

6:19 AM ET Golf is back in the Olympics for the second time after a 112-year absence, following a successful return in Brazil in 2016, when England’s Justin Rose captured the gold medal. Rose held off Sweden’s — and then-reigning Open champion — Henrik Stenson. American Matt Kuchar finished third to win the bronze. None

2:45 AM ET She lit the fire to start the Olympics, but Naomi Osaka‘s Tokyo 2020 dreams were extinguished far too soon on Tuesday in just over an hour by Marketa Vondrousova. With a flurry of unforced errors and growing frustration, Osaka’s Olympics ended with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Vondrousova, ranked No. 42 in

4:43 AM ET Associated Press SAITAMA, Japan — Luka Doncic is only a 22-year-old Olympic rookie, a player who might still be a few years away from his best basketball. Sergio Hernandez doesn’t need to wait. “For me, I said this two years ago: He is the best player in the world, including the NBA,”

10:08 AM ET The Unites States faltered down the stretch Sunday in a 83-76 loss to France at the Olympics. The U.S. led 74-67 with 3:41 remaining, before Evan Fournier ignited a 14-0 run that helped France secure the victory. Fournier finished with 28 points for France. It is the United States’ first Olympic basketball

7:51 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers extended a qualifying offer Friday to center Jarrett Allen, making him a restricted free agent. The team had until Aug. 1 to make the offer to Allen, a 23-year-old acquired last season in a trade from Brooklyn and viewed as one of Cleveland’s core pieces. The

3:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans officially named Willie Green as their next head coach Thursday. Green is coming off a stint as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns, who just made a run to the NBA Finals, which delayed the timing of the Pelicans’ announcement. “After an extensive and collaborative search,

3:29 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included

11:58 PM ET Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu — the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft — underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Wednesday and will miss approximately six months, sources told ESPN. Okongwu’s role grew as the season wore on for the Hawks, but a lingering